Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Who doesn't love omelets? I love masala omelets with lots of spice and veggies stir fried and folded into the center.

I've learnt that the perfect omelet is from beating the eggs for just a few minutes - just blended. I've also found that egg whites are easier to work with than the whole egg. And I absolutely have to eat my omelet with ketchup (i know - that just doesn't work for some people!). How do you like your omelets?

This is my first time participating in a Click! event, but I enjoy Photography and Food and so this was totally up my alley. Thanks people for organizing this! I use chopsticks a lot and these are my favorite, so that was a no-brainer. I use these bowls for dessert when I have company, but it was perfect to use for the rice. And though I didn't intend it to be, it turned out to be a black and white photo. I used the black placemat to bring out the metallic/ silver color of the chopsticks and the rim of the bowl. Please feel free to give me feedback. I enjoyed taking the photos!

I took two and I loved both and just couldn't decide. Anyways here they are. And the top one is my official entry.

This curry goes great with just about everything! Seriously, I have it with idlis and dosas, spread on toast and bagels, mixed with rice...just about everything. And its really easy to whip up as well.

Stir fry the onion, tomato and garlic in a little bit of oil. Add the turmeric and chili powder and saute till it becomes slightly thick. Grind together coconut and saunf. Add the ground mixture to the curry together with salt. Let it heat together for about 2 minutes. Remove from stove and sprinkle with coriander leaves.

Friday, March 21, 2008

I recently came across this recipe on InStyle magazine's latest issue. The photos looked so good and the recipe had ingredients that were totally easy to find and most of which I already had in my pantry. It came out great...

Note - Even though you squeeze dry the veggies, I found the final mixture quite liquid-y because of the eggs, I guess. So I increased the breadcrumbs quite a bit to compensate. Next time, I'm going to use only 2 eggs.

Friday, March 14, 2008

I used to make crepes quite regularly when I lived alone, but somehow after I moved to Chennai, the thought of going into my kitchen and cooking is not so appetizing. Well, I tried my hand at it last night and it was really good - am so glad I did go in and do it. It is very easy to make and gives you a change from the usual meal options. Its great for breakfast and gives you a bit of protein, fat and carbohydrate not to mention vegetables to keep you going through the day. The best part is that you can make the filling as healthful or sinful as you'd like! :)

I made an accompanying filling of sauteed spinach, mushrooms and onions with a sprinkling of slivered almonds. That is actually my favorite filling. My husband loves banana and nutella crepes.

Combine 1 cup milk, 4 eggs (beaten), 1 cup all-purpose flour, a dash of salt and 2 tbsp of melted butter. After combining, leave aside for 1/2 hour. Heat a crepe pan (or any pan that has a flat base) and ladle 1/4 cup of the mixture into it. Swirl the pan to make sure the mixture is evenly spread. Turn over when set.

What are your favorite crepe fillings? I'd love to experiment with some new ones.

Since my husband has now decided to start taking lunch to work, I've been trying to come up with creative sandwiches and light food that will not have to be reheated. Well, he loves egg salad and so I made this today and it was really very good.

I hard boiled and chopped up four eggs. Added 1 tbsp of honey mustard (or any mustard will do I guess) and some store bought garlic mayo. I then added a pinch of salt and pepper.

It still needed a bit of crunch and I didn't have any celery at home. So I remembered this tip that my friend, Min, had given me. I shredded some cucumber and added a pinch of salt and left it aside for 10 minutes. I then drained the excess water from the cucumber and added it to the egg salad and mixed everything together.

If anyone has any other ideas for filling yet easy to assemble packed lunches that are good cold, please do share! Thanks!